BROOKINGS – South Dakota State beat IPFW 12-7 Sunday to conclude a home-opening Summit League softball series.

The Jackrabbits won two of the three games.

SDSU (16-28, 3-6) plays host to Omaha on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and Saturday for a doubleheader at noon.

The Mastodons dropped to 9-31 (2-7).

Sunday

• SDSU 12, IPFW 7

The Jackrabbits blasted three home runs in the series finale.

Ali Herdliska went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs.

Alexis Ray finished 2-for-3.

SDSU built a 10-0 lead after three innings.

Abbey Murphy and Yonney Ponce bookended a seven-run first frame with a two-run homer and a two-RBI double.

Paige Gerdes had a run-scoring single, and the Jackrabbits also took advantage of a bases-loaded walk and a Mastodon error to score two more runs.

In the third, another IPFW error led to an SDSU run and Herliska added a two-run single to make it 10-0.

The Mastodons’ Caitlyn DeLong hit a two-run bomb in the fourth frame.

The Jackrabbits’ Erin Mullen hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, leaving the score at 11-2.

IPFW got back in the game with a five-run fifth frame.

Brooke Imel stroked an RBI double. Sydney Windlan plated a run with a grounout and DeLong added an RBI single, before Demitra Burns blasted a two-run homer to trim the deficit to 11-7.

Herdliska’s solo shot in the sixth provided for the final margin.

Ashlyn Bender, making her third appearance in the series, earned her second win in as many days after giving up seven runs – six earned – on eight hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Madison Hope allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out a pair of batters over the final two frames.

For IPFW, Imel ended up 3-for-4. Maria Palmegiani doubled twice in four at-bats and DeLong was also 2-for-4.

Bailey Snodgrass took the loss in the circle after failing to get out of the first inning.

Seven of SDSU’s 12 runs were earned as IPFW committed four errors.

Saturday

Game 1

• IPFW 12, SDSU 8

Six of the Mastodons’ 13 hits went for extra bases as the visitors picked up the opening win.

Jessica Murray went 3-for-4 with a homer, a triple, four RBIs and three runs scored.

Sydney Windlan totaled two hits, two RBIs and two runs.

Brooke Imel, Sierra Miranda and Lauren Watson added two hits apiece.

Murray opened the scoring with an RBI triple and scored on Maria Palmegiani’s batted ball to make it 2-0 in the top of the first inning.

The Jackrabbits turned the two-run deficit into a two-run lead in the second as Yanney Ponce tallied an RBI single and Julia Andersen stepped up with a three-run double.

IPFW took the lead back in the third on Murray’s three-run shot over the fence in center field. Caitlyn DeLong’s two-RBI double later in the inning made it 7-4.

SDSU rallied with four consecutive runs.

Danielle Steffo plated Abbey Murphy with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third.

Alex Ray drew a walk to open the bottom of the fourth and moved to second on Julia Andersen’s sacrifice bunt.

Ali Herdliska, who went 2-for-2 and drew three of the Jackrabbits’ nine walks, then singled but was later put out at second on Brittney Morse’s fielder’s choice.

Murphy then reached on an error, which allowed Ray to score. Mallory McQuistan also reached on an error as Morse and Murphy came around to score to put SDSU ahead 8-7.

Windlan pulled the Mastodons even with an RBI triple in the fifth, before IPFW took the lead for good at 10-8 following Jenna Balthazor’s two-run two-bagger.

In the sixth, Imel had an RBI double and Windlan added a run-scoring hit to provide for the final margin.

IPFW’s Darby Shaw earned the win after allowing eight runs – four earned – on six hits and nine walks with three strikeouts in a complete-game performance.

Madison Hope gave up nine runs on nine hits with two walks and a strikeout in five innings of work. She threw the first two-plus innings before being relieved by Ashlyn Bender, and then returned for the final three frames.

Bender gave up three runs on four hits in two-plus innings.

McQuistan doubled.

Game 2

• SDSU 3, IPFW 1

Bender earned her 30th career pitching victory and Murphy blasted a two-run homer in the sixth inning as the Jackrabbits salvaged a doubleheader split.

Bender’s 30 wins are the ninth most in school history, including the fourth-highest total in the Division I era.

The senior from Highland, Calif., gave up five hits while striking out four batters and walking two.

In the second, Murphy had a one-out single and Ponce had a two-out single to put runners on the corners. A double steal staked SDSU to a 1-0 lead.

IPFW ended Bender’s bid for her fourth career shutout by plating a run in the sixth as Palmegiana was hit by a pitch with one out, moved to second on Imel’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Windlan’s single.

The Jackrabbits quickly answered as Steffo led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and took second on McQuistan’s sacrifice.

Murphy blasted a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right field. The two-run shot put SDSU up 3-1.

Murphy finished 3-for-3 as she had a hand in all three Jackrabbit runs.

Herdliska doubled.

Mastodon starter Bailey Benefiel gave up three runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk.